Len Newcombe
Bernard John Newcombe (28 February 1931 – March 1996) was a Welsh professional footballer who played in the Football League for Brentford and Fulham as an outside forward. He later returned to Fulham as a scout.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Bernard John Newcombe[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 28 February 1931 | ||
| Place of birth | Swansea, Wales | ||
| Date of death | March 1996 (aged 65)[1] | ||
| Place of death | Swansea, Wales | ||
| Position(s) | Outside forward | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1947–1948 | Fulham | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1948–1956 | Fulham | 23 | (3) |
| 1948 | → Margate (loan) | 1 | (0) |
| 1956–1959 | Brentford | 85 | (8) |
| 1959–1960 | Guildford City | ||
| 1960–1961 | Sittingbourne | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Club career edit
Fulham edit
Newcombe was spotted playing youth football in Wales by former Fulham goalkeeper Ossie Evans, who recommended the young outside forward to his former club.[2] Newcombe transferred to the Second Division club in 1947.[2] He joined high-flying Kent League First Division club Margate on loan in January 1948, but made just one appearance during his spell.[2]
By the time Newcombe made his professional debut in a 1–0 defeat to Burnley on the final day of the 1950–51 season, the Cottagers were members of the First Division.[2] He was always on the fringes of the first team at Craven Cottage and left the club in April 1956,[1] having made 23 appearances and scored three goals.[3]
Brentford edit
In April 1956, Newcombe transferred to Third Division South club Brentford and played in the final three games of the 1955–56 season.[1][3] He established himself in the team in the 1956–57 season, making 46 appearances and he was a regular again the following year.[4] Newcombe's professional career was effectively ended by a broken collarbone suffered in a match versus Torquay United in April 1958.[3] Brentford were forced to play the rest of the match with 10 men and the resulting 1–0 defeat saw the Bees finish as runners-up in the Third Division South and miss out on promotion to the Second Division.[3]
Newcombe made just one appearance during the 1958–59 season and departed the club at the end of the campaign.[3][4] He made 89 appearances and scored eight goals during three years at Griffin Park.[3]
Non-League football edit
Newcombe ended his career with spells at Southern League clubs Guildford City and Sittingbourne.[3]
Career statistics edit
| Club | Season | League | FA Cup | Total | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Fulham | 1951–52[5] | First Division | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 1 |
| Margate (loan) | 1947–48[2] | Kent League | 1 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | |
| Brentford | 1955–56[4] | Third Division South | 3 | 1 | — | 3 | 1 | |
| 1956–57[4] | 43 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 46 | 3 | ||
| 1957–58[4] | 37 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 38 | 4 | ||
| 1958–59[4] | Third Division | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
| Total | 85 | 8 | 4 | 0 | 89 | 8 | ||
| Career total | 91 | 9 | 4 | 0 | 95 | 9 | ||
References edit
- ^ a b c d "Len Newcombe". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 8 January 2017.
- ^ a b c d e "Len Newcombe". margatefchistory.com. Retrieved 27 November 2014.
- ^ a b c d e f g Haynes, Graham; Coumbe, Frank (2006). Timeless Bees: Brentford F.C. Who's Who 1920–2006. Harefield: Yore Publications. p. 63. ISBN 978-0955294914.
- ^ a b c d e f White, Eric, ed. (1989). 100 Years Of Brentford. Brentford FC. pp. 383–385. ISBN 0951526200.
- ^ Len Newcombe at WorldFootball.net